<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Tickle-E by anasticklefics</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184321">Tickle-E</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anasticklefics/pseuds/anasticklefics'>anasticklefics</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Robots, Tickling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:40:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,758</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184321</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anasticklefics/pseuds/anasticklefics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony builds a bot to fill his tickle needs, but of course Steve wants to know what it is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony wasn’t sure why it had never occurred to him - or maybe it had, and he’d simply been too ashamed to give into the urge. Now, slightly tipsy and touch starved as hell, seemed as the most appropriate time to stumble into his lab and try to create something he would never let anyone else see. It didn’t need to be pretty. Mostly it needed to be discreet, in case someone <em>did </em>accidentally catch sight of it. He could do that. Like packaging a vibrator real neatly and subtly so that the mailman would have no idea. Easy.</p>
<p>He had a few options he could choose from. He could either make it something inanimate; an object he could strap onto his torso, have it vibrate or give off shocks that would lead to the desired result. Or he could give it a personality. Not necessarily like JARVIS. He already felt shy enough at times when JARVIS commented on something. But then again, to have the robot tease him… He shivered just thinking about it.</p>
<p>But no. He needed the discretion, at least a little bit. He needed Dum-E, but with another perspective when it came to helping. He only needed help with one specific thing from this bot.</p>
<p>So he built a smaller version of Dum-E, but with several arms and much more strength. It was rather easy, once he’d decided how to do it. He painted it gray, almost silver. Subtle and easy to store away; a black briefcase-life box to put it into when he knew he wouldn’t need it for a while. In his head he named it Tickle-E, even though the bot was very much his ler.</p>
<p>This was embarrassing. No one could know. Once he’d finished he had to leave it be for a day, feeling much too timid. Too pathetic to live up to the fact that he’d built it.</p>
<p>He circled it warily when he returned to the lab, having instructed JARVIS to let no one onto the floor. To alert him if anyone even entered the building.</p>
<p>Tickle-E would’ve blinked at him had Tony givet it eyelids. Or eyes.</p>
<p>“Hello,” he said. He never felt stupid talking to his creations, but he did feel a little silly talking to this particular one. “I built you out of a great need.” He crouched down to reach its nonexistent eyelevel. “I’m hoping you can help me.”</p>
<p>Tickle-E beeped, happy to be of service. Happy to have been created.</p>
<p>Tony smiled, almost shyly. “We’re gonna have some laughs together, you and I, aren’t we, Tick?”</p>
<p>And laughing he did. So much so that he almost didn’t need to use it again for days. Almost.</p>
<p>Tony got so used to Tick that he rarely stored it away. No one asked about it. It wasn’t a particularly eye catching bot. It gave absolutely no secrets away, and his lab was full enough of exciting things that people generally didn’t notice if he skipped out of introducing that particular one to them.</p>
<p>And then Steve fucking Rogers walked into his life.</p>
<p>Steve, with his fascination for everything, at least once his guard was down, and with Tony it had been slowly going down over the year. Now, the two of them unable to describe what they were just yet, Tony finally invited him into his lab for a guided tour.</p>
<p>“That’s Dum-E,” he was saying, pointing to the bot that always delighted people and always got delighted by people in return. It was cute, watching Steve interact with it. But then, naturally, he had to spot Tickle-E in the corner.</p>
<p>“Who’s that?” he asked. Tony was so astounded over the fact that he said ‘who’ and not ‘what’ that he forgot to blush at first.</p>
<p>“Oh, that?” He turned to Tick, cursing himself for not storing it away. “It’s Dum-E’s sibling.”</p>
<p>“What does it do?”</p>
<p><em>Shit shit shit.</em> “Looks cute, mostly.”</p>
<p>“Can I meet it?”</p>
<p>“It’s sleeping.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>Tony put his hand on Steve’s back, his desperation making him bold. “Wanna see my latest suit?”</p>
<p>Thinking that was that, he soon forgot about the near miss, but months later, after their first and second and tenth kiss, they were in Tony’s lab again. Tick was, once again, visible in its usual corner, but this time Steve wouldn’t let his curiosity get dampened, apparently.</p>
<p>“What’s its name, at least?”</p>
<p>“Tick.”</p>
<p>“Tick.” Steve tried the name out. “Hmm, no, I can’t really think of what that name could indicate.”</p>
<p>“Not all my creations have a purpose. Sometimes I just make them.”</p>
<p>“Can we wake it? I would like to meet it.”</p>
<p>Tony ran a hand through his hair. “I guess I can’t see why not.” <em>Wrong</em>. He could see many reasons why not.</p>
<p>Thanking his past self for not installing something stupid, like having Tick wake up and scream “It’s tickle time!” at the top of its artificial lungs, he woke the bot up for the first time in ages. He hadn’t needed it. Steve, while unaware of his desires, had found him being ticklish too great to not torture him.</p>
<p>The bot beeped happily at him.</p>
<p>“Hey, yeah, I’ve missed you too,” Tony said, patting it’s head. “I’d like you to meet someone.”</p>
<p>Steve chatted with Tick like he’d chatted with Dum-E, making sure not to coo too much, as if afraid to baby it. It was amazing, watching someone who took this seriously.</p>
<p>“And what do you do?” he asked Tick, stroking its back. “You wanna show me?”</p>
<p>This was so utterly unexpected that Tony hadn’t even thought he would have to install some sort of filter, but when the bot extended its arms and grabbed onto Steve’s wrists, Tony nearly strained a foot from how quickly he ran toward them.</p>
<p>“Tick, no, no, wait-”</p>
<p>But the bot was already at it, restraining Steve just enough to run the rather agile points of its limbs over Steve’s belly, a process Tony knew to be <em>incredibly </em>ticklish.</p>
<p>By the time Tony got Tick to stop, Steve had already started giggling like a maniac, unprepared and unused to not being able to break free. Tony hadn’t realized you could probably use Tick to torture information out of people if you wanted to.</p>
<p>“What was that?” Steve asked once the bot had let go of him, standing proudly while Tony glared daggers at it.</p>
<p>“That,” he said, turning back to Steve despite wanting to hide. “Was a tickle bot.”</p>
<p>“A tickle bot?”</p>
<p>“Its full name is Tickle-E. Clever, huh?”</p>
<p>“Why do you have a tickle bot?”</p>
<p>“To torture people?”</p>
<p>Steve raised an eyebrow. “Really?”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t I believe you?”</p>
<p>“Because you thought better of me. I know, I know.”</p>
<p>“Tony.”</p>
<p>Tony deflated. “Don’t make me say it.”</p>
<p>“Come here.”</p>
<p>Tony did, letting Steve’s hand caress his cheek, the back of his beck, before finally landing on his jaw. It felt good, but Tony would do anything to avoid his gaze right now.</p>
<p>“If you wanted to be tickled so badly you could’ve just asked me.”</p>
<p>Tony spluttered, Steve laughing when he hid his face in his chest. “You’re mean. And besides, I made Tick years ago. Before you.”</p>
<p>“Do you still use it?”</p>
<p>“Not often.”</p>
<p>“I would love to see you be tickled by it.”</p>
<p>“You’ve got to be kidding.”</p>
<p>“Not at all.” Steve’s hand was skittering over his lower back, making him squirm. “I could take notes. Find your most ticklish spots without breaking a sweat.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be mean.”</p>
<p>“I’m not, though. You like the sound of that, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Tony didn’t reply.</p>
<p>“See?” Steve’s hand moved to his side, agonizingly slow. “And when you’re done I can carry you upstairs and throw you on the bed and finish you off.”</p>
<p>“That’s… Steve, I don’t think you understand what that means.”</p>
<p>“I understand completely.”</p>
<p>A beat, and, “Okay, Tick, my turn.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steve watches Tony get tickled by his tickle bot.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While Steve was no stranger to being experimental, the 21st century introduced him to many things that he’d never even thought about. Mainly that not everything had to be sexual to make him feel a type of excitement. Watching Tony get tickled by a tickle bot was one of them.</p>
<p>He was leaning back in the chair Tony would occasionally use while he was working, straining and squeaking as he made himself comfortable on it, unaware that he would spend the majority of the time leaning forward, longing to see more, but not daring to get too close. </p>
<p>He’d never seen Tony be shy more than he did in bed, and that wasn’t often. He knew he felt exposed as he approached Tick, glancing at Steve with that delicious blush tinting his cheeks. Little would they know Steve would come out of this all with a flushed face himself. It wouldn’t be due to embarrassment.</p>
<p>“My turn,” he repeated, holding out his arms as the bot grabbed his wrists, holding them outright, slightly higher than his head. Leaving his torso up for grabs. Steve felt a tinge of jealousy, but it was forgotten the very moment Tick started poking at his vulnerable belly.</p>
<p>Oh, the <em>giggles</em>.</p>
<p>Steve could almost feel the tickling on his own skin, but the view of Tony falling apart was too enthralling for him to even squirm. Instead, he leaned forward, elbows digging into his knees as if to steady himself. He would leap to Tony’s side if he so much as turned toward him, wanting to see the laughter lines on that face, the scrunched up nose.</p>
<p>He couldn’t entirely comprehend the enjoyment of the sensation, but he could definitely see why someone would enjoy watching. Or providing. Yes, he could see himself tickling Tony to bits on purpose now, maybe tying his wrists to the bedpost to keep him in place. Complete trust and insanity all wrapped in feather light touches.</p>
<p>Tony was squirming in Tick’s grip, face turning red as his laughter rose in pitch. His belly had always been his worst spot, Steve knew, and he could only imagine not being able to stop the unbearable tickles. All of it uncontrollable unless he uttered the safe word (which Steve assumed he had). The safe word did provide him with some sort of power, though. He just chose not to utilize it.</p>
<p>“You look so ticklish,” Steve found himself saying. “So utterly ticklish right now.”</p>
<p>Had Tony been able to he might’ve spat something back. Something sarcastic and playful and somewhat defensive. But all he could do was laugh.</p>
<p>Steve had already fallen in love with it all.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>